Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-12-09
The MESSAGE,
EXTRACTS FROM PRESIDENT CLEvE-
LANDS.

LANDS.
The farmer and the agriculturist who
manufacture nothing, but who pay the
increased price which the tariff imposes
upon every agricultural implement, upon
all he wears and upon all he uses and
! owns, except the increase of his f1ocks
and herds and such things as his hus-
| bandry produces from the soil, is invited
/ to aid in maintaining the present situa-
tion and he is told that a high duty on
imported wool is necessary for the bene-
fit of those who have sheep to shear, in
order that the price of their wool may be
increased. They, of course, are not re-
minded that the farmer who has not sheep
is by this scheme obliged, in his pur-
chases of clothing and wooden goods, to
pay tribute to his fellow farmer as well
as to the manufacturer and merchant:
nor is any mention made of the fact that
the sheep-owners themselves and their
households must wear clothing and use
other articles manufactured from the
wool they sell at tariff prices, and thus
as consumers must return their share of
this increased price to the tradesman.
| think it may be fairly assumed that a
large proportion of the sheep owned by
the farmers throughout the country are
found in small flocks numbering from 20
to 80. The duty on the grade of imported
wool which these sheep yield is 10 cents
each pound if of the value of 30 cents or
less, and II cents if of the value of more
| than 80 cents. If the liberal estimate of
six pounds be allowed for each fleece, the
duty thereon would be so or y cents, and
this may be taken as the utmost enhance
ment of its price to the farmer by reason
of this duty. Eighteen dollars would thus
Il, .,f
from % sheep, and S36 that of the wool
from 60 sheep and that at present values
this would increase the amount to about
one-thrd of its price. If upon its sale the
farmer receives this or a less tariff profit,
the wool leaves his hands charged
with precisely that sum, which in
all its changes will adhere to it until
| it reaches the consumer. When manu-
featured into cloth and other goods and
material for use, its cost is not only in
creased to the extent of the farmer tariff
profit, but further sum has been added
| for the benefit of the manufacturer under
the operation of other tariff laws. In the
meantime. the day arrives when the far
mer finds it necessary to purchase wooden
goods and material to clothe himself and
family for the winter. When he faces the
tradesman for that purpose he discovers
that he is obliged not only to return in
the way of increased prices his tariff profit
on the wool he sold. and which then per-
haps lies before him in manufactured
form, but that he must add a considerable
sum thereto to meet a further increase in
cost caused by a tariff duty on the man
ufacture. Thus, in the end, he is aroused
to the fact that he has made upon mod
crate purchase, as the result of a tariff
c,h hn
seemed so profitable an increase in price,
more than sufficient to sweep away all
the tariff profit he received upon the wool
he produced and sold.
When the number of farmers engaged
in wool raising is compared with all the
farmers in the country, and the small
proportion they bear to our population is
considered; when it is made apparent
| that in the case of large part of those
| who own sheep the benefit of the present
| tariff on wool is illusOry: and, above all,
when it must be conceded that the i'll
crease of the cost of living caused by
such tariff becomes burden upon those
with moderate means and the poor, the
employed and unemployed, the sick and
well, and the young and old, and that it
constitutes tax which, with relentless
grasp, is fastened upon the clothing of
every man, woman and child in the land,
reasons are suggested why the removal
or reduction of this duty should be in
cluded in revision of our tariff laws.
=
The question of tariff revision1 thus
imperatively presented for solution should
be approached in spirit higher than
partisanship and considered in the light
of that regard for patriotic duty which
should characterize the action of those
intrusted with the veal of confiding
people. But the obligation to declared
party policy and principle is not wanting
to urge prompt and effective action. Both
of the great political parties now repre-
sented in the government have by repeat
ed and authoritative declarations con-
demned the condition of our laws which
permits the collection from the people of
unnecessary revenue, and have, in the
most solemn manner, promised its cor
rectiOn; and neither as citizens nor par
tisans are our countrvmen in Il mood to
cOndone the.delberate violation of these
pledges. Our progress toward wise
conclusion will not be improved by
dwelling upon the theories of protection
and free trade. This savOrs too much of
bandying epithets. 1t is a condition
which confrOnts us-nOta theory. Re
lief from this condition may involve a
slight reduction of the advantages which
we award our home productions, but the
entire withdrawal of such advantages
should not be contemplated. The ques-
ton of free trade is absolutely irrelevant
and the persistent claim made in certain
quarters that all efforts to relieve the
, people of unjust and unnecessary taxation
are schemes of sO-called free traders, is
mischieyous and far removed from all
consideration for the public good.
The simple and plain duty which We
owe the people is TO reduce taxation to
: the necessary expenses of an economical
operation of the government, and to re-
store to the business of the country the
money which we hold in the treasury
through the perversion of governmental
powers. These things can and should be
done with safety to all our industries
without danger TO the opportunity for re
munerative labor which our workingmer
need, and with benefit to them and al
10 49, l, -,